Hello, my name is Ashley and in this Instructable I'm sharing build details on my latest shop project: a homemade systainer cart. This was a really easy build that combined two of my favorite hobbies: woodworking and 3D printing.

Buying the official Festool systainer cart will cost you about $100. I was able to build mine for just the cost of the caster wheels. (I bought these 2″ ones on Amazon!) The rest of the supplies I already had on hand.

Most of the work for the systainer cart was cut out for me because the model for the 3D printed cleats is available on Thingiverse.

Here are some of the tools and supplies I gathered to build the homemade systainer cart (affiliate links):

I used this project as an opportunity to practice creating half lap joints. The only other time I’ve made half lap joints was for when I built my mobile base for the Ridgid Jointer. You could keep it really simple with pocket hole joints.

Let’s get started with the build!

Step 1: 3D Print the Cleats

Download the STL files via Thingiverse and 3D print them. I used Black PLA from Atomic Filament.

Step 2: Mill the 2x4

I used some 2×4 scraps to construct the base. Because I decided to use half laps for my joinery, I felt that it was worth it to go the extra mile and square the boards.

Step 3: Cut the 2x4 to Size

To measure the size of the 2×4, I dry fitted the cleats on the base of one of my systainers and measured the distance between the parts.

I took that measurement and added 1/8″ to the lengths.

My cut list is:

10 3/4″ (2)
15 3/8″ (2)

These measurements will vary if you opt to use pocket hole joinery to build the base.

Step 4: Cut the Half Laps

First time I made a half lap joint, I used my circular saw and a chisel. This was a tedious process so this time around I opted to use my bandsaw and a handsaw.

For a short clip of me cutting the half laps watch this video here.